Mt. Vernon’s Duncan accused of failure to register, being too close to playground

Four of his six neglected dogs freeze to death in Stotts City camper, other two dogs turned over to Rescue One group
A Mt. Vernon man who is also a registered sex offender was arrested on Wednesday, Jan. 31, after he was allegedly found to be living at an address other than the one where he was registered. Levi Colby Duncan, 31, is charged with failing to register as a sex offender and being present within 500 feet of a playground.
According to the probable cause statement in the case, a detective with the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office reported that they received an anonymous tip that Duncan was “living with a disabled person at an apartment and taking advantage of them.”
The detective reported that on Jan. 12, she sat in the area of the apartment complex where Duncan was reported to have been living and stated that she saw his truck parked there. She observed the truck there again on Jan. 16, and then called him and spoke to him about the tip she’d received.
Duncan, according to the probable cause statement, claimed that his girlfriend had his truck and that he was still living at the camper in Stotts City where he was registered. The detective noted in her report that the camper was not in livable condition due to broken windows and a damaged roof, and that it had been eight degrees below zero that morning.
Over the next two days, the deputy spoke with two witnesses. The first witness stated that they had seen Duncan living at the apartment and the air mattress which Duncan was sleeping on. The second witness told the deputy that Duncan had been living with his girlfriend since Jan. 5 or Jan. 6. The apartment Duncan was allegedly living at, the detective noted, was about 400 feet from a park with playground equipment (the law requires Duncan, as a registered sex offender, to stay at least 500 feet away from a playground).
The detective also spoke to the owner of the camper in which Duncan had claimed to be living. That person said that Duncan hadn’t been there for weeks, it had no power or water, no floor and that Duncan hadn’t slept one night there. The owner also said Duncan left six dogs behind, four which were found dead and frozen to the ground; the other two were turned over to Rescue One.
Duncan was originally convicted of first-degree child molestation after pleading guilty to the charge in April of 2013. In that case, he engaged in intercourse with a then 13-year-old girl in 2012. He was originally charged with first-degree statutory rape, but the charges were downgraded as part of a plea bargain.
According to online records, Duncan appeared in court on Thursday, Feb. 1, where he waived a formal arraignment.